Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint.

Chapter 228 Ross's... Old Friend?
Celia is taking stock of her day's achievements.

Last night, I earned 30 gold coins from healing and selling intelligence. Today, I earned another 40 gold coins from repeating the sales. As for healing the mercenaries, since they are not wealthy, Celia's fees were not high, capped at 20 silver coins, and mostly around 10 silver coins. In the end, I only earned about 500 silver coins.

In the end, each person received 35 gold coins plus over 200 silver coins.

After counting the gold coins, Elena exclaimed, "Making money from rich people is still the fastest way to make money!"

After collecting the gold coins, Celia picked up her staff: "Let's go, let's continue our adventure and see if we can collect another wave of gold coins from the rich!"

Elena's enthusiasm for exploration was also ignited, and the two quickly arrived at the gate of the ruins and entered.

As the mist dissipated, Celia found herself inside the gates of the ancient castle walls.

The gate was not open and was shrouded in a gray mist, indicating that they could simply pass through the mist and leave the ruins.

This design further convinced Celia that the ruins were specially designed by a legendary sorcerer.

In Ross's words, Celia felt like she was playing a game, "running a dungeon."

It's the kind that allows you to synchronize your progress with the walkthrough.

"This castle is huge."

Celia and Elena were both looking at the castle in front of them.

The sky above the ruins was gloomy and dimly lit, making it difficult to discern the entire castle.

It's huge, like a castle built for those ten-meter-tall statues outside the gate.

Celia and Elena looked as small as two ants in front of the castle.

The castle's massive structure boasts 12 spires, some of which extend from other spires into cloisters, appearing as if they are floating in mid-air.
The spire at the center of the castle was emitting a faint golden light, drawing Celia's attention.

"That must be the core of the entire ruins. As long as we get that glowing treasure, we can complete the conquest and obtain the entire ruins!" Elena said with longing.

Celia disagreed: "I think based on the previous maze, that might not be the core of the ruins. It could be a deception, deliberately luring people up there."

Elena thought about it and realized that made sense.

However, as she looked at the faint light, a premonition arose in her heart.

That's the destination I've been searching for.

Seeing that Elena was still looking, Celia said, "Such an obvious bait, most people would want to go and see it, but combined with the traps in front, it would make people think it's bait and not go, but it turns out to be real... Anyway, let's go and see."

Ross's voice came through: "Elena may have some connection to this ruin."

"what?"

Ross laughed, “She crossed the Star Spirit Tree, went from the Elven interior across Southland City to get here, and even stayed in Southland City for a long time because of this ruin. This doesn’t seem like something a ruin explorer would do.”

"Is there something she needs inside these ruins?"

"We don't know yet, but you'll find out when you reach the top tower."

"I understand, it means we need to go to the central tower!"

Following the stone-paved road, the two gradually approached the gate of the ancient castle.

Outside the gate, there are also two statues, but they are not human-shaped; they are animal-shaped, like two cats.

As I got closer, I had the feeling that they were staring at me.

The castle gates were tightly shut, showing no sign of opening.

As Celia approached the two cat statues, the feeling of them staring intently at her became more pronounced, accompanied by a sense of dread.

A sense of danger, stemming from her perception of peril, slowly crept into her mind as she moved forward.

Celia stopped and said, "We can't go any further, or we might have to fight those two statues." Elena didn't stop. "I know how to open the door."

Under Celia's gaze, the elven girl came to the middle of the two cat statues, whose heads were already turned towards her, their eyes glowing red.

The elven girl did not proceed further. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a prayer-like gesture, and her body began to emit a faint emerald green light.

The dim light shone on the gate and the two cat statues. The red light in the cats' eyes slowly disappeared, and then, as if in sync with Elena, their bodies shone with a green light.

Without a sound, the door suddenly opened, revealing a pitch-black interior.

Elena's light dimmed, and she turned back with a smile, saying, "The door is open, let's go."

Celia was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is opening this door your privilege, an elven privilege, or can anyone open it like this?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't know."

Celia: "?"

Elena said, "This is the guidance I received when I was blessed in the Elven Elders' Hall. I only know that I can open the door this way, but I don't know if others can open it this way."

"Uh……"

It's already clear that these ruins are related to Elena.

Or rather... is it related to elves?
Celia also became curious.

Thinking of the Elf God that Ross had mentioned, she couldn't help but ask Ross, "Lord Ross, was this ruin left behind by the Elf God?"

Ross shook his head. "I have already conquered all the ruins left by the Elf God. This ruin was built less than a thousand years ago. Everything is very new. It may have been built by someone I know."

Ross's mental power can scan the entire castle; perhaps a few more scans will reveal who did it.

But he didn't do that.

He wanted to know what surprises awaited the 'player' in these ancient ruins filled with game levels. If he simply scanned them with his mental power, it would be like reading a walkthrough and then playing a hacked version. Knowing the whole story of the ruins all at once would ruins.

Just like reading a detective novel, if you immediately tell someone who is the murderer, it will kill all your reading interest.

His mental scan only covered a ten-meter radius around Celia.

Furthermore, he did not tell Celia about the potential traps they might encounter within the area.

"The method to open the door is not exclusive to Elena; it's just that she obtained the 'key' before she arrived, allowing her to skip the puzzle-solving stage."

"That's good. I thought this ruin was exclusive to Elena."

If it's Elena's exclusive ruin, then it's pointless; we might as well just use it as a tool for Elena.

Ross sensed Celia's thoughts and couldn't help but chuckle: "You know what, it's actually quite possible that you'll become Elena's tool. She's the real protagonist of the ruins."

"...Then I'm not playing anymore."

"But you can take the most important treasure with you. Have you forgotten the agreement you made with Elena before you came here?"

"...But then again, being a tool isn't necessarily a bad thing."

The puzzle before opening the door was skipped, and the two entered the castle.

As soon as I entered, I felt a weight under my feet, and I couldn't lift myself up.

Elena looked even more uncomfortable than if she had swallowed a fly.

"What kind of ruin would put a swamp trap behind the door, you bastard!"

As they fall into the trap, other traps are triggered in a chain reaction!
　Calvin is working on the concept...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)